{"id":2190,"date":"2020-05-05T18:48:24","date_gmt":"2020-05-05T16:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scancafe.com\/blog\/?p=2190"},"modified":"2024-02-08T09:47:06","modified_gmt":"2024-02-08T14:47:06","slug":"how-to-choose-a-photo-scanning-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scancafe.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-photo-scanning-service","title":{"rendered":"How to Choose a Photo Scanning Service"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2222 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/scancafe.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Digitization-Service-1024x685.jpeg\" alt=\"technician scan a negative film and slides\" width=\"688\" height=\"460\" srcset=\"https:\/\/scancafe.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Digitization-Service-1024x685.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/scancafe.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Digitization-Service-300x201.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/scancafe.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Digitization-Service-768x514.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/scancafe.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Digitization-Service-1536x1028.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 688px) 100vw, 688px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For many years, you\u2019ve had a nagging feeling that something needs to be done with all those shoeboxes and albums containing irreplaceable family memories. It\u2019s true that digitizing film, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scancafe.com\/services\/slide-scanning\">slides<\/a>, movies, and other media prone to the ravages of time is the best way to preserve your family history. But if the entire process seems daunting and you haven\u2019t done anything, you\u2019re not alone! Doing this yourself, especially if you have hundreds or thousands of images, is a huge undertaking. Just as you would never take a precious family heirloom diamond ring to a fly-by-night jeweler for resizing, you should never send precious family photos to a company for scanning without doing a little homework. Like any other service, scanning companies aren\u2019t created equal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Important Factors to Consider<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Appropriate due diligence is required to protect your investment. While word of mouth and personal recommendations are great, doing online research can help you make an informed choice. Never forget that your memories deserve the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scancafe.com\/services\/photo-scanning\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">best photo scanning service<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. With that said, here are important considerations to keep in mind:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Reputation and trust:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Look at online consumer reviews from multiple sources such as Google and professional reviews from online tech or photography magazines. Reputable companies stand by their services and should have a proven track record handling the most fragile photos with utmost care. It\u2019s essential to have confidence that a scanning service will treat your images like they belong to them personally.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Cost of service:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> You may have hundreds or even thousands of boxes of historical photos. But the lowest cost of service may not be the best solution. If the scanning is done incorrectly, you\u2019ll have to get it done again and that\u2019s a colossal waste of money. Even worse, cheap scanning companies may damage or lose your precious originals.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Quality of product:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Scanning photos at 600dpi resolution yields <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scancafe.com\/scanning-quality\/quality-comparison\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">excellent quality<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that is high enough to create prints as large as poster size. Beware of companies that scan at 150dpi to save time because you\u2019re certain to be disappointed with the mediocre or poor results.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Editing and restoration: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your photos, negatives, and slides have been stored for years, they\u2019ll likely require some editing. Although this may cost extra, there\u2019s no point in paying for scans if the images are still scratched or the colors look otherworldly! Make sure the company you select has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scancafe.com\/scanning-quality\/overview\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the expertise<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to remove scratches and dust and color correct images. And if the images have incurred more extensive damage, look for a company that can perform pixel by pixel restoration.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Scanning entire albums: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seek out a company that can scan photos in albums because removing them yourself can cause irreversible damage.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Turnaround time: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Find out ahead of time how long it will take to complete the task of scanning all your photos. The onus is on you to communicate your timeframe expectations accurately on the front end and select a service that can deliver, but keep in mind that turnaround expectations need to be realistic.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Safe handling<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Find a company that takes the safety of your images seriously \u2013 door to door. At <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scancafe.com\/scanning-quality\/door-to-door-tracking\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ScanCafe<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, our commitment to safety starts with requiring that you use a sturdy box to send us your precious memories. We offer door-to-door and shelf-to-shelf tracking, video surveillance, strict order monitoring, and incredibly safe return shipping.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Customer service:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Quality customer service is a vital factor. If you call to talk to an employee, the person should be knowledgeable about the company\u2019s services and have the ability to provide assistance. If customer service is poor, chances are the scanning services will also be subpar.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re looking for high-quality scanning services, look for a company with a state-of-the-art facility and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scancafe.com\/testimonials\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">best professional photo scanner<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">s<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. ScanCafe has scanned more than 150 million images, transferred more than 200 million feet of film, and converted more than 1 million videotapes to digital! Check out our online reviews and customer testimonials today and you\u2019ll see why we\u2019re a global leader in scanning and recipient of numerous awards!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For many years, you\u2019ve had a nagging feeling that something needs to be done with all those shoeboxes and albums&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2222,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-photography"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/scancafe.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Digitization-Service-scaled.jpeg","author_info":{"display_name":"ScanCafe","author_link":"https:\/\/scancafe.com\/blog\/author\/scafewpadm"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scancafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scancafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scancafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scancafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scancafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scancafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2190\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scancafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scancafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scancafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scancafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}